Author's Note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. It took a lot of writing and rewriting before I finally got it the way I wanted. I hope you all like it!
Disclaimer: I own Gemma Leland and part of the plot associated with her. The rest of the characters and plot belong to Alan Ball, the creator of True Blood, and Charlaine Harris, the author of the Southern Vampire Mysteries.
Chapter 10
I awoke with a start, my breath ragged as I fought back tears. My mind replayed the dream over and over as I opened my tomb and exited the mausoleum. When I walked out into the night, I was met by nothing but the silence of the dead that surrounded me. Eric was nowhere to be seen. In a way, I sort of appreciated that. I needed time alone. Shutting the door, I walked over to a stone bench, looking up at the sparkling stars and the waning moon.
My heart ached as I thought about my mother. She was a drug addict my whole life and for most of hers, also. The overdosed mother trick was her favorite way to steal money from unsuspecting victims, starting when I was old enough to talk. For years, she had tricked me into stealing money for her so she could score more drugs. That day I dreamed about was a day I remembered clearly. It was the day I finally realized that what we were doing was wrong.
From that night on, I slowly began to resent my mother for the evil she made me commit. By the time I reached my teen years, I hated her. I hated her, but I loved and needed her. She never told me who my father was. I would be surprised if she even knew who he was herself. My mother was all I had and despite all the drugs, theft, and long days without food, I loved her.
That was the tragedy of my life.
When she died, she finally set me free. I was sixteen when police officers came to my high school, telling me she had overdosed at a friend's house and died before she reached the hospital. The strange and possibly terrible thing was that I did not even feel sad as I listened to the officers. I was so relieved, like I had been chained to a wall my whole life and suddenly the shackles had been removed. With her death came my rebirth.
Yet here I sit, I thought miserably. Maybe my life is meant to be a tragedy.
Heaving a heavy sigh, I stood up from the bench and began to run toward the forest and, ultimately, Fangtasia.
For the first time since I had been in Eric's care, Fangtasia was open and the parking lot was rapidly filling up with vampires and humans alike. As a human, I had never been to a vampire bar, though I knew of several in Chicago. The most famous was Bad Blood, a large vampire night club located in the center of Boystown (the gay village of Chicago). I was intrigued to see what it was like inside during open hours. I also hoped that it would somehow lift my spirits.
When I walked up to the front door, I was met by a very large male vampire acting as the bouncer. As I approached, he stopped me, looking me up and down. Satisfied that I was a vampire, he waved me through. Huh, I thought, so vampires never get carded? I smiled and shrugged to myself, just happy that the bouncer didn't make a scene. I didn't have any identification and I wasn't sure how to get any now. I'd have to bring that up to Eric.
When I entered the main bar area, I felt like I had waded into a sea of black. Vampires and humans alike were dressed in tight, Goth-style clothing. Several of the humans were dressed in cliché Hollywood vampire garb, seemingly unaware of how ridiculous they looked. I felt very out of place in my white shirt and skinny jeans.
Across the room, I saw a small stage with a stripper pole. A mostly naked woman was dancing on the pole, pulling herself up the pole and flipping upside-down in an almost inhuman show of acrobatic strength. Watching her from the throne-like chair was Pam, looking regal in her flowing purple top and her hair pulled up into a high ponytail. After a few seconds, Pam looked my way and, noticing me standing awkwardly by the door, she waved me over.
"How are you doing tonight, cupcake?" she asked, a seductive smile on her face.
"Fine," I said uncertainly, looking over at the stripper again. "I need…a drink."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, this one is working right now. Unless you want to wait?"
"No, I wouldn't want to catch anything," I answered, quickly looking away from the topless woman and toward the patrons of the bar. I noticed a group of three men and a woman a few feet away, each trying to look sexier than the others. All four of the people were staring at me, clearly trying to get my attention. Pam noticed them also and chuckled.
"Well, how about one of these lovely things," she laughed. I cringed, looking at the garments these humans were wearing. One of the men was wearing tight leather pants, leaving very little to the imagination. The woman was wearing a T shirt that was strategically torn to cover her nipples and little else. I quickly looked back to Pam, hoping I didn't give the humans the wrong impression.
"I think I'll just settle for a Tru Blood," I said, barely concealing my distaste.
"You are far too young to be mainstreaming," Pam said, returning to her usual bored tone. "Just take one of them out somewhere. Be discrete, though."
'Mainstreaming' was what vampires called living amongst humans without drinking their blood. The idea had become appealing to me over the past two days. First, I had almost killed a human because of the bloodlust I felt. Then, the next time I had fed from a human, it had been from Pam's plaything in the basement. I had been able to stop myself without killing her, but I had still let the hunger consume me enough to drink from a totally naked, chained-up woman. Maybe I was holding on too hard to my lost humanity, but the things I did still grossed me out. I would have completely committed to it if the synthetic blood didn't taste so disgusting.
Tonight, I figured, I'll give it the old college try.
"No, I'd rather not. I want a Tru Blood, but I have no money."
Pam sighed, not bothering to look away from the stripper, the sight of whom she was clearly enjoying. "Alright, if you insist on drinking that trash, just go get one. Chow will give it to you. And don't worry about mooching off Eric and me. We'll find a way for you to pay us back," she said, turning her face to me and winking. Somewhat stunned, I just turned and walked toward the bar, ignoring the fangbangers. As I passed, I heard the female whimper.
I spent most of the remainder of the night sipping synthetic blood, trying not to gag, and fighting off men and women looking for a vampire to have sex with. Most of the humans just shrugged and moved on when I rejected them. One man begged me to reconsider, only leaving when Chow finally intervened and told him to get out. A woman in a leather bustier actually burst into tears.
About halfway through the night, I noticed every eye in the room turn and aim at the front doorway. I turned on my stool to see Eric standing at the center of attention, looking extremely sexy in tight, black jeans and a black wife beater. I found myself staring at his muscular arms before quickly pulling my eyes away, hoping he didn't notice.
As if answering my thoughts, Eric leaned up against the bar beside me, flashing me a devilish smile.
"Like what you see?" he teased. I rolled my eyes, turning my concentration to my folded hands.
"Why are you bothering with that fake blood?"
"I'm trying to mainstream," I admitted dejectedly. "I hate it."
"Gemma, would you be so kind as to come with me?" Eric asked, suddenly turning serious. His request sounded more like a demand. "I need to speak with you."
Eric turned, walking toward the other side of the room. Instinctively, I followed. I became worried, wondering what it was Eric could want to say to me. He led me to the back of the bar, opening the door to the dungeon. He motioned for me to go through to door. I eyed him worriedly before descending the stairs.
When we had reached the bottom floor, I turned to face Eric, who put his hand on my back to lead me further into the dungeon. We reached the far wall before he turned to me.
"I needed to make sure no one would be able to hear us," he said.
"Why couldn't we just use your office?" I asked, disgusted to see a puddle of an unknown, dark substance only a few feet from where I stood.
"Sophie-Anne has had it bugged before. I was able to find and remove the bug, but I do not want to take any chances that she has left others. I know she has never been down here."
"Sophie-Anne? Isn't she the queen you are supposed to be taking me to?" I inquired.
Eric nodded. "Yes. The Queen and I have had a rather volatile relationship. She is part of the reason I wanted to talk to you."
My heart leapt. Was he going to tell me he was finally taking me to her?
"What about her?"
"I have tried numerous times to contact the Queen to inform her of your situation and get her decision on what to do next. Last night, I sent a human who often works as a bouncer for Fangtasia. I have since heard nothing from him or Sophie-Anne," he said, his face somber. There was some sort of meaning in his words I was not catching.
"Okay, so what?"
"So I have reason to believe the human is either dead or being held prisoner," he answered bluntly. My eyebrows knitted together, confused.
"And you believe Sophie-Anne is responsible?" I asked, to which Eric nodded. "Why would she do that?"
Eric looked away, waiting a few moments before answering me. "Sophie-Anne and I did some business together and now she believes I owe her some money. She is refusing to speak to me unless I first present her with the cash she is demanding, cash which I do not have."
I sighed, brushing some of my strawberry-blonde hair out of my face. "So I am assuming Sophie-Anne will not help me."
"It appears she will not," he answered softly, though it did not soften the blow. I suddenly felt trapped, hopeless that there were any chances of my return to my home. Images of my home, my coworkers, and the library I loved flashed through my mind. I began wondering if I would ever see them again. Fighting back tears, I tried to appear stoic.
"I should have figured as much," I muttered, wiping at my eyes discreetly. "What should I do now? I have nowhere to go and I know you do not want me here—"
"I am willing to offer you my help," Eric interjected, surprising me. "I will help you get a better understanding of your powers, get all your legal documentation with the vampire and human government sorted, and continue allowing you a place to sleep, until you can find a job and a place of your own. It is my duty as your Sheriff to do all I can to help. When I deem you ready to enter society, you may go where you please, whether you stay here in Louisiana or return to Illinois. You will be a free vampire and, therefore, can live where you please."
Eric's words stunned me. It was a very generous offer he was making to continue helping me, even though I was not his progeny. I was also very excited by the idea of returning to my home very soon. I knew life would be hard and I would have to find a different job, but hopefully I could return to my old apartment and a shadow of my own life. Maybe I would even check out Bad Blood.
But I knew there was something I had to do before I could return home. I could not go back to Illinois until I filled in the gaps in my memory, and that required finding those wolves. The other night, the wolves had mentioned going to Jackson. The only Jackson I knew of was Jackson, Mississippi, but I needed to find out more to make sure.
"That is very kind of you, Eric. Thank you," I said with a smile. I chose not to speak about finding the wolves. I was happier than I had been in days, I did not want to say or do anything to ruin it.
"Let's begin your training. We'll start with something simple: glamouring," Eric began, leading me toward the stairs. "I have someone you can practice on."
We walked toward the stage, Eric sitting in the throne and motioning for me to sit in a small wooden chair beside him. Uncomfortably, I obeyed. With a quick wave of his hand, Eric beckoned someone over. Turning my head, I saw a woman, clearly human, walk over. She had long, messy, dark-blonde hair and wore a mesh shirt with nothing underneath. She gave Eric and me a look that I figured what supposed to look smoldering and sexy, but fell short of the mark. As she reached the pole, I was struck by how her messy appearance and slightly shaky walk reminded me of my mother before the drugs completely swallowed her. I felt incredibly uncomfortable as she began to dance, turning my face away from her. My eyes met Eric's.
"Who is she?" I asked.
Eric shrugged. "Humans come here to offer themselves to me. I figured one of them would be an easy guinea pig. Are you ready?" he asked, his voice low. I gave him a puzzled look.
"Ready for what?" I asked.
Eric pointed at the stripper. "Glamour her," he whispered, too softly for the human stripper to hear. I looked at the stripper, who was still dancing, oblivious to our conversation. I quickly looked away.
"But I don't know how," I breathed. I was terrified, rather irrationally, of attempting to glamour this woman. Eric chuckled at me, amused by my apprehension.
"Just look her deep in the eyes and tell her what you want her to do or believe," Eric explained impatiently. "You watched me do it to the hotel clerk. Just imitate that."
Hesitantly, I stood and walked over to the stripper. She slowed her dancing, giving me a confused look as I approached. I bit my lower lip, concentrating hard on remembering what Eric did the night at the hotel. Inhaling deeply, I took the woman's chin in my hand, forcing her to stop dancing and look into my face. A worried look passed over her face as I began looking deep into her eyes, imagining I was looking into her brain. After a few seconds, the stripper's face went lax and her body very still. I knew I had her.
"Eric, I did it! I did it!" I exclaimed, nearly jumping up and down.
"Great, just don't break eye contact," he said in my ear, putting his hand on my shoulder. I did as he said, keeping my eyes firmly locked on hers.
"What is your name?" I asked, repeating what I had heard Eric say to the hotel clerk.
"Vera," the woman answered mindlessly.
"Are you married?"
"No."
"Do you have any children?"
"Yes, a little girl."
"Well, Vera, tonight was a wakeup call for you. You realized, dancing at this club, that you don't want to be involved with vampires anymore. You want to be a good example for your daughter and get an honorable job, find a good man, and get your life cleaned up. When you leave this club tonight, you will not come back."
Vera nodded, telling me that what I had said was understood. With a smile, I turned away from her, returning to my seat beside Eric's throne, where Eric already sat. Vera returned to dancing on the pole, but I noticed it was much less enthusiastic than before.
"How did I do?" I asked.
"Very well for your first time, though I wish you had not cost me a potential meal," Eric said, though I could tell by his approving look that he did not really mind. I giggled, beaming with pride in myself.